Apps In app ads, worth it?

[qasimValent]

Ive seen alot of discussions about in app ads not making money,

Yet so many applications feature them...

are they actually worth it? I would love to hear developers who have used them and if one app can generate a few hundred bux a month??

Thank you

 

[jonbonazza]

The majority of revenue seen from mobile apps is from advertising. this is why many high-profile applications use a business model consisting of in-app advertising with a free price tag.

 

[neilvb]

Yes, it's worth it, but only if you've got something that people want to use or like, which will put eyeballs on the ads.

I find about 1 ad is clicked for every 50 shown in my app, though the payout per click varies wildly.

Mine's educational and the ads are on-screen all the time, so there's plenty of opportunity for someone to click. A game might be different though because the user would be busy playing and may not notice the ad, so I'd expect the click rate to be lower.

I've also got a paid version of my app because some people hate ads so much, they'd pay to get rid of them, or not use the app.

 

[alostpacket]

It can work both ways though. It depends A LOT on what the purpose of the app is. If it is a tool or utility, then ads will be seen less often. If it's a content based app (rss reader, game, newspaper) then ads will be seen very often.

For example, PowerAmp made millions from a Paid app, while Angry Birds made millions from ad-based apps.

 

[jonathanrz]

I suggest you to read this: http://androidforums.com/application-development/436-monetize-your-applications.html